"Never again"
What accounts for the acceptance of these attitudes toward Palestinians? Is there some cognitive barrier? Perhaps there is latent sympathy for the design by a group of formerly persecuted peoples; the Jews, to lash out against a largely defenseless other; the Palestinians, for the sins of third-party persecutors; the Nazis? Is there a complexion connection that evokes a natural sense of solidarity by white Americans with their similarly-hued Mid-East counterparts of Israel? That's an issue that cannot be avoided. It's far too difficult to imagine tolerance for this sort of behavior by Israel if those on the receiving end of it were Germans or Polish.
One point needs to be made plain; there's not a drop of anti-Semitism or anti-white prejudice staining my perspective on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Those incendiary taboos are not in play here. My guess would be that anyone having reached that conclusion is probably manipulating the points being made. My outlook stems from a clear sense of morality, a desire for due process, and a trenchant understanding of the concept of fairness. I was brought up to stand up for rights; not to abuse them, the moral compass animating my core values forces me to empathize with the oppressed as well as the formerly oppressed. This is why Umkhonto we Sizwe, of apartheid-era South Africa, for example, can be used as the nexus for my conditional support of Hamas, Fatah or the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) while at the same time I can also despair over the events of Munich, '72 and rejoice over the outcome at Entebbe in 1976.
The point is that I well-understand the near-genocidal legacy from which the Jewish cry of "never again" originates. But I also realize that its latent anxiety has helped create a blockade of its own; a resolute, no-shades-of-grey disconnect impacting the psyche of many fervent Israel supporters. Often, for these supporters, virtually any utterances of understanding of the Palestinian cause or discouraging words about Israeli tactics is sufficient evidence of a prima facie case of virulent anti-Semitism. I can almost hear it: "He came of age in the shadow of Temple No. 11; he hates the Jews."
Not so. As those in the know understand, there's a galaxy of difference between the Million Man March and the Nordic Fest. Indeed it would be more accurate to charge me with disdain for the hard-line ultra-nationalists who have headed Israeli governments and enshrouded its policies in an essence of divine righteousness. It's a disdain much in common with that which I've had from time-to-time for some of my own country's administrations. Thus, it is not Israel's Jews in general, but some of their government's policies that strike me as godlessly contemptuous. Nevertheless, it's far beyond unlikely that any call for the destruction of Israel will ever be heard from here. I'd much more prefer to see the Jewish state continue as part of a democratic, multi-faith society in which the interests of both Jews and Palestinians equally recognized. In fact, I'd insist on it thanks, in part, to Carl Zidel, my 10th grade art teacher.
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